Moving to the Twin Cities from Tennessee, I have some questions!! (Minneapolis: fit in, apartment)

[iamthepowerhouse]

My wife and I are probably going to be moving to the Twin Cities pending my interview goes well at the end of December. I do have some questions, maybe someone can give me some good answers!

1. We will be living in Cambridge, its a very small town so my wife's best bet is to find a job in the twin cities area. (she does admin, office managerial, accounting work). What areas should she look in to finding a job that wont require a long commute?

2. Is there lots to do in the twin cities area? We like just about everything from going to the movies to being outdoors.

3. Should we start investing in some The North Face coats???? Its cold in tennessee but im sure nowhere near what its like in MN.

[hopes&dreams]

That would be quite a long commute if your wife was to work in the city somewhere. Is your job in Cambridge? If not I would consider moving closer to the city. There are small towns there as well with much less of a commute.

There are PLENTY of things to do. Many outdoor activities. Lots of lakes and trails. There is a big focus on the arts as well. Many theatres, museums, clubs, etc. Everything you could ever want is here.

As for the cold, yes it is. The temp has been in the negatives all this week and winchills around -40F. It's something that you get used to eventually. Driving in it is another thing (especially if you'll be commuting) but again that just takes adjusting to. If you are for sure moving then yes, start gathering things. Coats, mittens, hats, scarves, boots, things for you car (anti-freezing windshield wiping fluid) scraper, etc.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

I agree, don't live in Cambridge if you can help it.

[Veridian]

Originally Posted by iamthepowerhouse

1. We will be living in Cambridge, its a very small town so my wife's best bet is to find a job in the twin cities area. (she does admin, office managerial, accounting work). What areas should she look in to finding a job that wont require a long commute?

This depends on her commute tolerance. For me, going from Cambridge to one of the cities (Minneapolis or St. Paul) would be too much. However, I know people who commute from Hudson, WI.... To me that's nuts, but to each their own.

Suburbs nearest Cambridge include Elk River, Anoka, Forest Lake and Coon Rapids. I'm sure there are others that I haven't mentioned because I'm not overly familiar with that area, but this is a start...

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Cambridge is pretty far from Elk River and Anoka as there aren't alot of good roads to take to get between them. It is right on HWY 65 so it its alot easier to get to places like Isanti, East Bethel, Ham Lake, Blaine, or you can take 95 west to Princeton or east to North Branch. As far as I'm concerned it's pretty far in the middle of nowhere.

[iamthepowerhouse]

Yeah i understand about Cambridge being pretty far. But we have to for at least the 1st few months. My would be boss has a fully furnished apartment above their house for pretty cheap so that would mean we would not have to scramble for money in the beginning to get our furniture up there, so right now, Cambridge is the best option.

[zeno44]

Hey, iamthepowerhouse,

You'll probably like MN if you're into outdoor activities; tons of places and options, free and open to the public. Yes, invest in warm clothes...including a good hat, gloves, and a scarf or face mask if you'll be outside for any length of time. (They sell plenty of face masks up in MN, you'll see.) The summers are much easier to handle than in the South, in terms of humidity. Pretty good economy in MN, relatively speaking of course, so that's another big plus.

I thought I'd chime in to mention, or kind of brace you...being in a smaller place like Cambridge is not really like living in the Twin Cities proper. You may not fit in as easily or immediately as you would down in Mpls. or St. Paul. You could take just about any of us native Twin Cities people, MN accent and all, and move us up to Cambridge or a similar small town, and the locals there may take a while to warm up to us (if ever). The atmosphere in outlying areas is a little different than in the cities, and many folks already know one another. It won't be a catastrophe or anything, but you may stand out for awhile. I've found that's pretty much the case in almost every state I've been in; even happens over in Europe, so it's not a MN thing in particular. One good thing about the Twin Cities, I'm sure others would agree, is that there's not a big hangup about people moving from other areas. Nobody seems to care. I worked with people from MS, TN, AL, etc., in St. Paul, and they blended right in. I can't speak for Cambridge, one way or another. If you fish, talk fishing for sure with locals. That should really help break the ice. Speaking of ice, many of us MN anglers fish thru the ice - probably not much of that in TN I imagine. :") Every place in MN, Cambridge included, is near tons of lakes, in case you like lake activities. Plenty of WMA's too, if you seek wild game.

Once you get on the interstate, you'll be down to Mpls. & St. Paul quickly, so you'll be able to experience it regularly. Don't fear the MN small town reality, just be aware that it won't really be like living in the Twin Cities.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

My recommendation. Take the cheap rent for a few years. Then, look at Blaine. It gets you a lot closer to MPLS and your drive from Blaine to Cambridge will be going against traffic. Blaine is also has reasonably priced housing, lots of stores are restaurants nearby.

[knke0402]

Man, I have met SOOOO many people from Tennessee that have moved to MN. I would say other than WI and ND newcomers, I see more TN people than anyone

[iamthepowerhouse]

I really love the city life so im looking forward to moving to the St. Paul/Minneapolis area asap. We are flying in to visit on the day after Christmas, lets hope no flights get canceled.